Principal Project Engineer (continuous opening)

V2X Inc; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

V2X is seeking a Principal Project Engineer to lead and deliver mission-critical systems for U.S. government programs from our Indianapolis, IN site. You will guide technical frameworks, manage risk, coordinate with suppliers, and optimize resources while ensuring industry-standard compliance.

You will mentor teams and drive innovation in a fast-paced defense environment. This role demands strategic leadership, cross-disciplinary expertise, and proven ability to interface with senior defense

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in STEM and 15+ years in defense system development preferred.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams across mechanical, electrical, software domains.
• Ability to gain/maintain US security clearance and work with government stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead department-wide technical frameworks and cross-disciplinary integration.
• Oversee risk analysis, resource planning, and project scheduling across programs.
• Mentor engineers, drive agile practices, and ensure compliance with IEEE, ISO, and PMI standards.

Skills

Leadership

System integration

Risk management

Stakeholder engagement

Agile practices

Decision making

Education

Bachelor’s degree in STEM

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

SAP S4/HANA

Azure

Jira

Windchill

GitHub

Job description

Working across the globe, V2X builds smart solutions designed to integrate physical and digital infrastructure from base to battlefield. We bring 120 years of successful mission support to improve security, streamline logistics, and enhance readiness. Aligned around a shared purpose, our $3.9B company and 16,000 people work alongside our clients, here and abroad, to tackle their most complex challenges with integrity, respect, responsibility, and professionalism.

Working across the globe, V2X builds smart solutions designed to integrate physical and digital infrastructure from base to battlefield. We bring 120 years of successful mission support to improve security, streamline logistics, and enhance readiness. Aligned around a shared purpose, our $3.9B company and 16,000 people work alongside our clients, here and abroad, to tackle their most complex challenges with integrity, respect, responsibility, and professionalism.

Role Overview: Are you ready to take on a pivotal role in delivering innovative, mission-critical solutions? As a Principal Project Engineer supporting our engineering team in Indianapolis, Indiana, you’ll play a key role in developing and deploying specialized systems for the U.S. government. From modifying aircraft with advanced mission systems to prototyping cutting-edge technologies, you’ll drive multidisciplinary projects that are impactful, agile, and essential to national defense. In this position, you’ll oversee technical frameworks, manage risk, coordinate with suppliers, and optimize resources while ensuring compliance with industry standards. Additionally, you’ll mentor team s, foster collaboration, and help shape policies that enhance efficiencies and drive innovation.

Responsibilities

Project Engineering at V2X: Project Engineering is a specialized field within engineering that focuses on planning, managing, and executing projects. It combines technical expertise with project management skills to successfully achieve project objectives. Project Engineering demands a robust understanding of the project life cycle and its deliverables. Project engineers possess extensive engineering experience, particularly in the development and execution of engineering projects.

Role Overview: Are you ready to take on a pivotal role in delivering innovative, mission-critical solutions? As a Principal Project Engineer supporting our engineering team in Indianapolis, Indiana, you’ll play a key role in developing and deploying specialized systems for the U.S. government. From modifying aircraft with advanced mission systems to prototyping cutting-edge technologies, you’ll drive multidisciplinary projects that are impactful, agile, and essential to national defense. In this position, you’ll oversee technical frameworks, manage risk, coordinate with suppliers, and optimize resources while ensuring compliance with industry standards. Additionally, you’ll mentor teams, foster collaboration, and help shape policies that enhance efficiencies and drive innovation. This is an exciting opportunity to work closely with customers and stakeholders, grow as a leader, and make meaningful contributions to mission success.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership

• Develop and oversee department-wide technical frameworks, driving cross-disciplinary integration (mechanical, electrical, software, manufacturing).
• Lead high-impact, complex technical projects ensuring alignment with organizational goals and innovation.

Risk & Resource Management

• Identify, analyze, and mitigate engineering risks and opportunities.
• Forecast, allocate, and optimize engineering resources across projects and teams.

Supplier & Stakeholder Engagement

• Manage supplier relationships, ensuring compliance, cost-effectiveness, and delivery timelines.
• Build trusted relationships with stakeholders, aligning technical execution with organizational strategy.

Mentorship & Development

• Mentor engineers at all levels, fostering excellence, collaboration, and leadership development.
• Drive department growth through training, process improvements, and team development.

Compliance & Standards

• Ensure projects adhere to industry standards like IEEE 15288, PMI PMBOK, ISO 9001, and AS9100.
• Act as an Independent Technical Reviewer to align decisions with best practices.

Strategic Contributions

• Support enterprise-wide initiatives delivering measurable outcomes such as efficiency, growth, or customer success.
• Represent the organization in strategic forums and technical committees.

Agile Practices

• Lead agile transformation efforts, optimizing workflows, sprint planning, and collaboration.

Estimation & Planning

• Establish and guide best practices for cost modeling, proposal development, and resource forecasting.
• Ensure engineering proposals meet technical and business benchmarks.

Leadership Competencies

• Strategic Execution: Balances innovation with disciplined execution, driving technical strategies and integrating engineering disciplines to deliver impactful outcomes.
• Collaborative Leadership: Builds strong relationships across teams, customers, and leadership while communicating effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Decisive Problem-Solving: Takes ownership of technical challenges, proactively mitigating risks and delivering solutions aligned with organizational goals.
• Risk and Compliance: Implements agile practices and ensures adherence to industry standards like IEEE 15288, PMI PMBOK, ISO 9001, and AS9100

Qualifications

Required Skills:

• Leadership and Communication: Strategic thinker with strong collaboration skills across teams, customers, and leadership; capable of explaining complex technical concepts to technical and non-technical stakeholders while driving innovation and disciplined execution.
• Problem-Solving and Innovation: Decisive problem solver with ownership of technical challenges, capable of mitigating risks, delivering solutions, and driving innovative outcomes aligned with organizational goals.
• Proven ability to design, integrate, and troubleshoot complex hardware and software systems.
• Experience in integrating mechanical, electrical, software, and communication systems for vehicle platforms.
• Skilled in performing design trade-offs, risk analysis, and component/system compatibility assessments.

Desired Skills

• Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification
• Design and Development Program Experience
• Knowledge of routings, work instructions, and Production program environments.
• Experience interfacing with senior defense customers, including Program Executive Officers (PEOs) and Program Management (PM) offices.
• Advanced proficiency in systems engineering (IEEE 15288), project management (PMI PMBOK), standards compliance (ISO 9001, AS9100), agile methodologies, and tools like SAP S4/HANA, Azure, Jira, Windchill, GitHub, and configuration/risk management systems.
• Hands‑on experience in creating system architecture models and diagrams to support ground vehicle integration

Education Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in STEM field with 15+ years of experience in defense system development, emerging engineering leadership, and program execution.
• Master’s degree in STEM field or MBA preferred.

Other Requirements

• Ability to gain or current US Government Secret Security Clearance.
• US Citizenship required.

At V2X, we are deeply committed to both equal employment opportunity, including protection for Veterans and individuals with disabilities, and fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace. We ensure all individuals are treated with fairness, respect, and dignity, recognizing the strength that comes from a workforce rich in diverse experiences, perspectives, and skills. This commitment, aligned with our core Vision and Values of Integrity, Respect, and Responsibility, allows us to leverage differences, encourage innovation, and expand our success in the global marketplace, ultimately enabling us to best serve our clients.